ParkRun fun in Cyprus for military charity

26 March 2024

A team from Littlehampton’s Arunners Running Club sought out some winter sunshine last week by heading to Cyprus to do a sponsored run to raise funds for SSAFA.

The team regularly visit other ParkRuns and this time decided escape the English winter and join Happy Valley ParkRun on one of the UK military bases in Cyprus.

Tim Boone said: “I'd heard there was a ParkRun on Cyprus, but it’s inside the British military base at RAF Akrotiri. Thinking it was an extreme longshot, I asked one of our members and veteran, Richard French, who is a Regional Fundraising Officer for SSAFA, if he might have a contact who could arrange access.”

Strings were pulled and the team were invited to join in the ParkRun on the military base.

“The run starts at 0800 because of the heat, and what a ParkRun it is! Starting and finishing on a brand-new running track, and with a backdrop of mountains, the course winds its way through orange groves and olive trees.”

The team made friends in the sunshine and enjoyed the camaraderie on camp with the local runners. The next day, some of the team went on to run a marathon in the heat, with Tim clocking up his 300th marathon overall. The team pledged to return to Cyprus in 2025 and they raised £375 for the South East region of SSAFA, which goes towards helping veterans, serving people and their families in their times of need.